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english_lady03's review against another edition
4.0
I was not sure whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. So I will ultimately settle for 3.6. Readers beware this review is going to be on the long side.
First off, I don;t share the outrage of some over the 'cultural appropriation' of a Mulan story set in Germany and Poland. I believe stories have always traveled and passed along cultural and geographical boundaries. Stories are fluid, they constantly evolve, and some are universal, existing in almost every culture.
Besides of which, I'm a Brit and I can well attest how many of my country's great stories have been retold and adapted across the world. It does not bother us- or at least me. We don't have a copyright on Robin Hood, King Arthur or Shakespeare.
Anyway, without further ado. The story itself was quite good. The Romance was charming, and there was plenty of adventure and excitement.
As far as the characters went, at times I liked Mulan, at other times I wanted to slap her. She could be very inconsistent. I think by the end the author did a good job reconciling the warrior with a woman who could still be vulnerable, but at times she was just so changeable and getting annoyed over silly things. Not to mention the arranged marriage subplot: I mean judging a person's character on the basis of one single exchange? Really?
I kind of preferred Wolfgang, and the situation with his brother Steffan. At times he could be a bit of a jerk, yeah, but we was trying to do what he was raised and trained to. At least that's how I saw it.
I also rather liked Andrei, Mulan's companion/Squire/Friend. He could do have his own story.
The battle scenes were well written- BUT- I found them very unrealistic at the same time.
I cannot in a Million years see the Grand Master of the Teutonic knights going into battle without any armour on. Just no. In fact, the elite military order of the Teutonic knights came over as pretty useless and incompetent for most of this story. At one point a division of them just gallop straight towards a line of archers.
Also, what on earth is a 'leather gambeston'? A gambeston was a type of garment for protection that was made from overlapping layers of fabric (usually wool or linen) to make a padded or quilted type of jacket. Something like a modern flak jacket. They were not made of leather. Except maybe the outer lining, and leather trousers. Grooooannn.
OK I get it leather looks cool, but does everyone in human history have to wear flippin' leather trousers? Let alone leather 'hose' or leggings. I don't want to even imagine how uncomfortable those would be.
Finally, whilst most of the details of the story were authentic, there were some inevitable modern Americanisms ('uh-huh' and 'yeah' and one character says 'girlfriend'). I note with some disappointment that this is the third Medieval Fairytale retelling by this author in which there's been a reference to potatoes.
Potato dumplings may be a traditional dish in Lithuania today, but they weren't in the 15th century because-we-did-not-have-potatoes-in-Medieval-Europe. None. Nada. They come from the Americas, specifically South America and could not have been known in Europe before they were introduced in the 16th century at least.
Also, I found some of the situations at the end rather problematic historically. For one thing, they really reminded me of the closing part of Ivanhoe by Walter Scott. Ivanhoe was good, but historically accurate it was anything but.
I've read that a person could only be tried for heresy by a church court: and the Teutonic knights were not a church court, and also the whole thing about a woman being accused of heresy taking part in combat did not wash with me.
Now, I know people are going to be thinking 'Joan of Arc' but there are plenty of examples from before her of women who took part in fighting and warfare and did not get into trouble for it. There's even one or two Medieval illustrations of women fighting. It was not beyond the pale even then.
Its entirely possible that the author meant this to be a distortion of Christian and social ideals, as represented by the villain. At least I hope so.
Overall I did like The Warrior Maiden as an interesting spin on the Warrior Woman/Girl trope and the Mulan story. Some suspension of disbelief is required, as with most novels.
Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for allowing me to request this title. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.
First off, I don;t share the outrage of some over the 'cultural appropriation' of a Mulan story set in Germany and Poland. I believe stories have always traveled and passed along cultural and geographical boundaries. Stories are fluid, they constantly evolve, and some are universal, existing in almost every culture.
Besides of which, I'm a Brit and I can well attest how many of my country's great stories have been retold and adapted across the world. It does not bother us- or at least me. We don't have a copyright on Robin Hood, King Arthur or Shakespeare.
Anyway, without further ado. The story itself was quite good. The Romance was charming, and there was plenty of adventure and excitement.
As far as the characters went, at times I liked Mulan, at other times I wanted to slap her. She could be very inconsistent. I think by the end the author did a good job reconciling the warrior with a woman who could still be vulnerable, but at times she was just so changeable and getting annoyed over silly things. Not to mention the arranged marriage subplot: I mean judging a person's character on the basis of one single exchange? Really?
I kind of preferred Wolfgang, and the situation with his brother Steffan. At times he could be a bit of a jerk, yeah, but we was trying to do what he was raised and trained to. At least that's how I saw it.
I also rather liked Andrei, Mulan's companion/Squire/Friend. He could do have his own story.
The battle scenes were well written- BUT- I found them very unrealistic at the same time.
I cannot in a Million years see the Grand Master of the Teutonic knights going into battle without any armour on. Just no. In fact, the elite military order of the Teutonic knights came over as pretty useless and incompetent for most of this story. At one point a division of them just gallop straight towards a line of archers.
Also, what on earth is a 'leather gambeston'? A gambeston was a type of garment for protection that was made from overlapping layers of fabric (usually wool or linen) to make a padded or quilted type of jacket. Something like a modern flak jacket. They were not made of leather. Except maybe the outer lining, and leather trousers. Grooooannn.
OK I get it leather looks cool, but does everyone in human history have to wear flippin' leather trousers? Let alone leather 'hose' or leggings. I don't want to even imagine how uncomfortable those would be.
Finally, whilst most of the details of the story were authentic, there were some inevitable modern Americanisms ('uh-huh' and 'yeah' and one character says 'girlfriend'). I note with some disappointment that this is the third Medieval Fairytale retelling by this author in which there's been a reference to potatoes.
Potato dumplings may be a traditional dish in Lithuania today, but they weren't in the 15th century because-we-did-not-have-potatoes-in-Medieval-Europe. None. Nada. They come from the Americas, specifically South America and could not have been known in Europe before they were introduced in the 16th century at least.
Also, I found some of the situations at the end rather problematic historically. For one thing, they really reminded me of the closing part of Ivanhoe by Walter Scott. Ivanhoe was good, but historically accurate it was anything but.
I've read that a person could only be tried for heresy by a church court: and the Teutonic knights were not a church court, and also the whole thing about a woman being accused of heresy taking part in combat did not wash with me.
Now, I know people are going to be thinking 'Joan of Arc' but there are plenty of examples from before her of women who took part in fighting and warfare and did not get into trouble for it. There's even one or two Medieval illustrations of women fighting. It was not beyond the pale even then.
Its entirely possible that the author meant this to be a distortion of Christian and social ideals, as represented by the villain. At least I hope so.
Overall I did like The Warrior Maiden as an interesting spin on the Warrior Woman/Girl trope and the Mulan story. Some suspension of disbelief is required, as with most novels.
Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for allowing me to request this title. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.
marylee's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
karlation's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
epaigessss's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
ladygenevieve's review
4.0
Not quite as good as the previous books in the series. There was very little new vocabulary. Usually I have to look up about 5 words per book. I think I only looked up one this book. Maybe it was written in a hurry? The story didn’t seem as well thought-out. Usually there are more twists. I did like that Malbork Castle was in it. It made the story a little more real. Overall, a good book, but not her best.
fyrekatz's review
2.0
Review will be posted after blog tour! Also received a physical
arc copy for the tour and honest review!
http://fkrants.blogspot.com/
arc copy for the tour and honest review!
http://fkrants.blogspot.com/
v_hankins's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
kebyrne2's review
2.0
The story is cute. The writing made it super easy to read.
As a Mulan retelling I wish it took place in china or an other Asia country not Europe.
The religious aspect was a little much for me and an over the top. I get that it is 1423 but still it felt like the author was trying to push a religious agenda, Esp the second half of the book.
As a Mulan retelling I wish it took place in china or an other Asia country not Europe.
The religious aspect was a little much for me and an over the top. I get that it is 1423 but still it felt like the author was trying to push a religious agenda, Esp the second half of the book.
alongreader's review
3.0
I've read and enjoyed Melanie Dickerson before, and I like the story of Mulan, so I thought this would be right up my street. Sadly, it's not. It's passable, but not fantastic. Too many clumsy sentences and contrived happenings threw me out of the story. I was confused about the passage of time, too...I thought only a couple of days had passed, but there was Mulan thinking that she'd only known Wolfgang a couple of weeks.
This isn't a terrible book. It's a good adventure story. But it just isn't as good as I'd hoped for, and that hurts from this author.
Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.
This isn't a terrible book. It's a good adventure story. But it just isn't as good as I'd hoped for, and that hurts from this author.
Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.